1. Field to which the Invention Pertains
The present invention relates to an information card and an information card system. More particularly, it relates to an information card for use as a credit card, a cash-vending card, an ID card, etc. which employs Steganography, i.e., image data embedding digital watermarking, information-hiding, or digital picture envelope technology, and further to an information card system employing such an information card.
2. Description of Related Art
One known type of the information card is heretofore an IC card for use as, e.g., a credit card and an ID card. The IC card has an IC chip mounted on a plastic plate. The IC chip has either a microprocessor and a memory or a memory only. The IC card with the IC chip having both of the microprocessor and the memory is what is called an IC card, while the IC card with the IC chip having only the memory Is termed as a memory card.
The IC card for use as the credit card carries on its plastic plate surface the name of the card owner and the card number. The memory (ROM) in the IC chip stores an authentic program, a password, and so on. In some case, the authentication program and the password for use by the authentication program are encrypted for protection against unauthorized access.
However, such conventional IC cards do not have a significant level of security. More specifically, there have been cases where someone illegally obtains the password or decodes the encrypted data, and thereby illegally use the IC card. In addition, attempts have been made to forge the IC card as a whole. The use of such a forged IC card cannot be prevented once the password is obtained.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information card, which can completely be prevented from being forged, and an information card system
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information card, which can completely be prevented from being illegally used, and an information card system.
The present invention provides an information card including a memory that stores information data, the information data including either image data or acoustic data, the improvement wherein the information data contains inherent data that is embedded in the information data according to Steganography. The information card may take a physical form as, e.g., an IC card or an optical card.
The present invention provides an information card wherein the inherent data shows either the legitimacy or card owner of the information card.
The present invention provides an information card wherein the memory stores a password for permitting the information data to be read from the memory.
The present invention provides an information card wherein the information card employs a customized key in order to give a permission to extract the inherent data from the information data. The customized key is data to control a flow of either an embedding program (encoder program) or an extracting program (decoder program). The customized key can be designed to allow only a legitimate card owner and authorized user of the information card to be aware of the customized key.
The present invention provides an information card system comprising: an information card including a memory that stores information data, the information data including either image data or acoustic data, the information data containing inherent data that is embedded in the information data according to steganography, the memory storing a password for permitting the information data to be read from the memory, and a data processing terminal including input means for submitting a password, password checking means for checking the submitted password against the password stored in the information card to permit the information data to be read from the memory, and output means for outputting the read information data. The data processing terminal can exchange data with the information card by wire or wireless in a contact or non-contact manner.
The present invention provides an information card system comprising an information card including a memory that stores information data, the information data including either image data or acoustic data, the information data containing inherent data that is embedded in the information data according to Steganography, and, a data processing terminal including input means for submitting a customized key, inherent data extracting means for extracting the inherent data with the use of the submitted customized key, and output means for outputting the extracted inherent data.
The present invention provides an information card system according to wherein the memory stores a password for permitting the information data to be read from the memory, and wherein the data processing terminal includes input means for submitting a password, password checking means for checking the submitted password against the password stored in the information card to permit the information data to be read from the memory, and output means for outputting the read information data.
The present invention provides an information card system wherein the extracted inherent data is wholly or partly checked against either inherent data read from a host or inherent data entered from an external source.
The present invention provides an information card or an information card system wherein the inherent data is embedded according to steganography by the steps of converting either image data or acoustic data, both formed as information data, to pure binary code data, or converting the pure binary code data to canonical gray code data, decomposing either the pure binary code data or the canonical gray code data into bit planes, segmenting the bit planes into regions according to a complexity measure, and replacing complex region-forming data with the inherent data.
The present invention provides an information card or an information card system, wherein the inherent data to be embedded is subject to a conjugation operation.
The present invention provides an information card or an information card system wherein the memory comprises an IC chip.
The present invention provides an information card or an information card system wherein the information card carries a photograph on a surface thereof, and either the information data or the inherent data is image data representing the photograph.
In the present invention, the information card contains the information data in the memory. The information data includes either image data or the acoustic data. The inherent data is embedded in the information data according to steganography. As a result, even if a third party is able to read the information data from the information card, since the inherent data is hidden in the information data according to steganography, the third party cannot recognize the presence of the inherent, secret data. Thus, it is possible to provide the information card with a high level of security. The information data may be of such a size as to allow the inherent data to be embedded therein according to steganography.
In the present invention, the inherent data shows either the legitimacy of the information card or the card owner of the information card. Once the inherent data is referred, it is easy to confirm and verify the legitimacy of the information card; i.e., to check for card forgery or modification. In addition, it is possible to hide the presence of such legitimacy data and card owner data.
In the present invention, since the memory contains the password for allowing the information data to be read from the memory, password checking can allow the information data to be read therefrom. Accordingly, the security of the stored information data can be made high.
In the present invention, the use of the customized key enables the inherent data to be extracted from the information data. The customized key is not stored in the information card, and hence can be made highly safe because this key cannot be stolen.
In the present invention, the information card contains the information data. The information data has the inherent data embedded therein according to steganography. The information card further stores a password for permitting the information data to be read from the memory. The data processing terminal checks a submitted password against the password stored in the information card. When the submitted password identifies with the stored password, then the data processing terminal permits the information data to be read from the information card, and then outputs such retrieved information data. For example, the read information data is displayed on a display unit, outputted as sounds, or transmitted as electronic data through a communication line.
As a consequence, the information data stored in the information card is protected against retrieval therefrom by password checking because no unauthorized persons are allowed to access it.
In the present invention, the information card retains the information data and the inherent data. The data processing terminal extracts the inherent data from the information data by means of a submitted customized key. The data processing terminal permits the inherent data to be extracted only when the submitted customized key is a legitimate customized key. Therefore, even if a third party is aware of the presence of the embedded inherent data, the third party can be prevented from extracting the inherent data because the third party does not know the customized key, and further cannot randomly submit any key that is identical to the legitimate customized key. Accordingly, the information card system provides a high level of security.
In the present invention, the information card contains the password other than the information data, called the inherent data. The data processing terminal protects the information data by password, and further protects the inherent data by customized key. As a result, the inherent data is protected against extraction by double protection scheme.
In the invention, the inherent data is read from the host and put into the data processing terminal, or is submitted from the external source into the data processing terminal. The read or submitted inherent data is wholly or partly checked against the inherent data that is contained in the information card. When these inherent data identify with one another, then the information card is possible to work as it is programmed. For example, it can function as a credit card. As a consequence, the information card system provides triple security, making it possible to eliminate forgery and illegal use.
In the present invention, the inherent data is embedded according to Steganography by the steps of converting the information data to pure binary code data, or converting the pure binary code data to canonical gray code data, decomposing the pure binary code data or the canonical gray code data into bit planes, and segmenting the bit planes into regions according to a complexity measure, and replacing complex region-forming data with the produced inherent data. As a result, the memory of the information card stores information data that has the inherent data embedded therein. In addition, the inherent data Is hidden so that the third parties are unaware of the presence of the inherent data.
In the present invention, the inherent data to be embedded is subject to a conjugate operation. As a result, various files can be embedded.
In the present invention, the memory of the information card includes an IC chip. As a consequence, it is possible to build an information card, which serves as, what is called, either a memory card or an IC card, and a system of such an information card. In this case, an inexpensive card reader/writer can be provided as the data processing terminal.
In the present invention, the information card carries a photograph on the card surface thereof. The information data or the inherent data represents the photograph. When image data is output and displayed, then such data can be checked against the photograph. This makes the information card highly secure.